Button, trimming, or the like



Dec'. 7, 1943.

BUTTON, TRIMMING OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 50, 1942 INVENTOR ULL/AN M.R01/5E L. M. RousE l `2,336,192

Patented Dec. 7, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUTTON, TRIMMING, RTHE LIKE Lillian M. Rouse, New York, N. Y. Application January 30, 1942,Serial No. 428,828

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to articles of manufacture for use inconnection with wearing apparel, and more particularly to buttons.

It is an object ofthe present invention to provide a button or like`article which ismade of felt or feltlike material, which button iscompact, but also flexible enough for the purpose intended.

It is anotherobject of the presentinvention to provide an article of theaforesaid type which is composed of different layers of materials ofpreferably contrasting colors.

Still another objectof the present invention is to provide an article ofthe aforesaid type which has any desired shape or configuration, anddesign, and which can be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a process formanufacturing articles of the aforesaid nature, which process is veryeconomical and efficient, and can be performed with ordinary set of diesor stamps.

Still a further objectof the present invention is to provide a processfor manufacturing buttons and the like which may be stamped out of alayer or layers of materials in succession.

Yet, another object of the present invention is to provide a process formanufacturing relatively flexible buttons or the like provided with apreferably compact base of one or more layers of the material of whichthe upper layer or layers may also be composed.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a buttonor like article for use on dresses, cloaks, suits or other wearingapparel,-

which button may be made of differently colored and shaped layermaterials of various thicknesses, the layers being preferably held inposition by stitches passing therethrough or by an adhesive substance.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novelbutton made of compact flexible fibrous layer material to which anydesired and appropriate adornment may be added which may be preferablyplaced on top of said layer material. l

The features of novelty which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention are set forth hereinabove and are more particularly describedboth as to its principles and as to its particular embodiments and whichare best understood by reference to the specification which describes,by way of example only, and not in limitation, certain ways in which theinvention may be practiced.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective sectional view of a stripv composed of layersemployable in the new method according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, showing the dieing stepof said method.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an article, such as a button, formed bythe step shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the article' of Fig. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are each plan views of other forms of buttons made inaccordance with the invention.

Fig. 7 is a plan View of a button in a still modified form.

Fig.v 8 is a side view of the button shown in Fig. 7.

Referring now particularly to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. 1 astrip of material II) preferably made of relatively thick and compactfelt or similar fibrous material, the strip in this instance beingcomposed of three layers, namely base layer I I, intermediate layer I2,and top layer I3. All these layers may be made of the same material, butpreferably of contrasting colors and of different thicknesses. Layers IIto I3, being of different width and length, may also be made coextensivewith each other and may be provided with differently shaped edges. Thelayers may be held in superposed position by stitches I4 passing throughthe materials of the layers. In some instances, it might be useful toglue or otherwise fix layer I2 to the base layer II, to-

thus reinforce said base layer I I and to make it less flexible. Anysuitable and well-known ad-` hesive substances may be used for thispurpose.

In order to produce an article of manufacture, such as a button, asillustrated in Fig. 3 in its finished form, strip ID may be movedcontinuously through a punching press of known structure having die orcutter parts I5, I6 and I1 which pass or pierce in succession andprogressively through the layer material to cut it to the shape shown inFigs. 3 and 4. Die part I5 may be projected for contact with bearing orsupport I8 which is preferably made of hard wood. Support I8 holds stripIi) in position, whereas the die or stamp parts I6 and I1 are guided insuch way that they penetrate only the layers I2 and I3. The ,parts I5,I6 and II may be driven by any known means (not shown) as it isconventional in punching presses.

It can thus be easily realized that a button like that shown in Figs. 3and 4 may be inexpensively manufactured, which has the base layer I9 andthe upper layers 20 and 2l, both being flexible relatively to said baselayer. Layer 2I may, however, be centrally held in position and mayotherwise loosely overlie base layer I9 and intermediate layer 20, thelatter being fixed by adhesive to said base layer I9 to reinforce thesame.

The stitches I 4 holding said layers together may also be employed toattach to the underface of base layer I9 a, fabric piece or tab 22, bymeans of which the button may be fixed to a dress or other wearingapparel.

Figs. and 6 show modified forms of buttons in circular and oval shapes,respectively. As it is apparent from Fig. 5, base layer 23 and upperlayers 24 and 25 are held in superposed position by a staple or clamp26. However, other known fixing means vmay be used for this purpose.Layers 21, 28 and 29 of the button, as shown in Fig. 6 are provided withstitches 30 and 3l which hold said layers in superposed position. In themodication shown in Figs. '7 and 8 base layer 32 of relatively strongand compact material supports a relatively thin vand flexible layer 33of the same material but preferably of different color, and also adecorative button 34 (or any adornments, such as artificial ower o1 thelike), the latter being placed on top of said layers. Stitches 35 passthrough the holes of button 34 to hold the layers together, the stitchessimultaneously attaching to the bottom of base layer 32 a flexible tab36 which may be employed to x the laminated button to a suitablesupport.

- As it is Well apparent from the above, the material used for thebutton can be a laminated relatively strong fabric, leather or brousmaterial which Vis compact, durable, but exible enough to be used forvthe purpose intended. It is further obvious that such construction mayalso be used for other, preferably decorative articles, such as broochesor the like.

In cases where relatively small buttons 4are available to be used on adress as trimming or appendage and it is thought useful to employ thesame type and size of buttons for closing or buttoning the dress, saidsmall buttons may for this purpose be placed on or joined to the novelvbutton structure as exemplified in Figs. 7 and 8, thus providingsupport or supplement for said small buttons.

It is to be noted that during the punching method referred to hereinabove, shims or abutting plates (not shown) may be temporarily insertedbetween layers I I and I2 and between layers I2 and I3 to bring aboutclean stamping or cutting results.

It is evident from the above that there has been provided according tothe invention a processof manufacturing buttons, trimmings or the likewhich consists in arranging strips of compact fibrous materials insuperposed position, stitching said superposed strips together atpredetermined points having equal distance from one another, andsubjecting the thus stitched strips to continuous punching operation,whereby each stitching point becomes the center of a laminated buttonresulting from said punching operation. It is further evident that thusa new article of manufacture has been provided resulting from theaforementioned process.

Although the above improvements relating to buttons, trimmings or thelike have been described with considerable detail and with respect tocertain particular forms of the invention, it is not desired vto belimited to such details since changes and modifications in the form,arrangements, proportions and sizes thereof may well be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadestaspect.

Having thus described theinvention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a button, trimming or the likecomprising a laminated body of felt material, the laminae being arrangedin step-like formation, fastening means passing centrally through saidbody to maintain said laminae in joined condition, the lower'portion ofsaid body being less flexible than the upper portion thereof, and tabmeans connected to said fastening means at the' undersurface of saidbody and adaptedV to be attached to a support for holding the body.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a button, trimming or the likecomprising a laminated body of felt material; the 'laminae beingarranged in step-like formation, fastening means passing centrallythrough said body to maintain said laminae in joined condition at thelocation of said fastening means, tab means connected to said fasteningmeans at the undersurface of said body and adapted to be attached to asupport for spacedly holding the body on the latter, and means on top ofsaid body forming an adornment therefor.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a button comprising a plurality oflayers of fibrous material, base layer and upper layers, respectively,an upper layer adjacent the base layer being adhesively secured to thelatter to reinforce said base layer, the remainder of said upper layersbeing loosely and centrally secured to said reinforced base layer, andmeans projecting from the under-faceof said base layer for spacedlyattaching said button to a support.

lLiLLIAN M Rouse.

